Greetings!

Hi
Welcome to Morcan Books & Films, the blog devoted to providing a unique perspective and intelligent commentary on books and films. It includes commentary on our own books and films – i.e. novels and screenplays co-written by the Morcans, and feature films produced by, or in development with, Morcan Motion Pictures.
Lance & James

Follow Blog via Email

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Book 3 in The Underground Knowledge Series is a no-holds barred critique of mainstream medicine and the various players who make up one of the largest and most profitable industries on the planet. This explosive book explores the contention that Big Pharma and other participants in the healthcare sector put profits ahead of patients’ wellbeing and dollars ahead of lives. It leaves no doubt that something has run a mock in the medical field, and what should be the noblest profession has been severely compromised by the various conflicting interests.

“Great read for anyone engaging with the Health Care system and especially Health Care providers who are numb to the subtle corrosive influence of Big-Pharma corruption. A broad and insightful overview of the corrupting culture of corporate Medicine, and the unenviable situation the medical establishment finds itself. Totally dependent upon Big Pharma and its mates in the Food Chain system. Sobering, and not new. We all need a shake up.” –Dr. Kevin Coleman,MB.BS. MPH. MasterGP Psychiatry, FRACGP

“The vast majority of curricula that are taught in medical schools in this country (USA) were put together by organizations that were founded by, or are funded by, pharmaceutical companies,” according to natural health expert T.C. Hale.

That provocative quote kicks off a chapter headed ‘Kickbacks for doctors’ in our book MEDICAL INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX: The $ickness Industry, Big Pharma and Suppressed Cures.

In the same chapter we quote Cicero, who said, “In nothing do men more nearly approach the gods than in giving health to men.” Certainly, the medical profession, in its purest form, is a noble one. And doctors are clearly at the apex of the profession.

We have no wish to denigrate doctors, or to denigrate anyone who devotes their life to helping fellow man. However, it would be remiss of us not to bring your attention to some, shall we say, gaps in the system – gaps that allow doctors to abuse their position if they are so inclined.

And we stress that those who do (abuse their position) are very much in the minority. That said, the number of doctors who have brought their profession into disrepute, worldwide, is staggeringly high. Certainly far too many for so noble a profession, we would argue.

___________________________________________________________

“An apple a day, if well aimed, keeps the doctor away.” –P.G. Wodehouse

___________________________________________________________

In Medical Industrial Complex, we list proven and shocking examples of kickbacks to doctors.

One study found that doctors in the US receiving payments from pharma companies were twice as likely to prescribe their drugs.

We quote a detailed 61-page report compiled by the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), which starts out with the comment that “While rent-seeking behavior may not be surprising generally, that financial conflicts of interest could influence physicians’ advice might be less expected. For one, doctors are highly paid, with most falling in the top 5% of the income distribution within the US”.

The UCSD report continues, “When drug companies have financial relationships with physicians, medical decisions may be influenced by pecuniary motives not directly related to patient health…”

The report’s conclusion is that “Using data from twelve drug companies, more than 330,000 physicians and nearly one billion prescriptions, we find that when a drug company pays a doctor he is more likely to prescribe that company’s drug.”

A US Federal Government report, detailing 4.4 million payments made to doctors and teaching hospitals by pharmaceutical and medical device companies sheds more light on the vexing kickbacks issue…

We conclude the chapter by saying, ‘Hopefully, this insight into doctors’ kickbacks from the likes of Big Pharma and the medical equipment suppliers hasn’t destroyed your faith in your family doctor. We stress that those who succumb to the temptations on offer are in the minority and so, statistically speaking, we’d like to think there’s a very small chance your doctor is one of the culprits.’

Following on from our recent (November 15) post on this subject, here’s another excerpt from a chapter titled “Finding (hiding) a cure for cancer” lifted from Medical Industrial Complex:

One who believes olive leaf extract can fight or even prevent cancer is a UK gentleman who is a member of our ‘Underground Knowledge’ discussion group on Goodreads.com. He speaks from some experience as he claims he battled back to full fitness after being hospitalized for four months with a rare condition. He’s convinced his recovery was down to olive leaf extract, which he took in conjunction with hemp oil and Vitamin D.

Our own investigation into the merits of using olive leaf extract to combat cancer proved productive. Among the many papers published on the subject, a report by health writer Danica Collins on the UndergroundHealthReporter.com site claims that “The phytochemical known as oleuropein found in olive leaf extract has been shown to eliminate cancer tumors in 9 to 12 days”.

Collins says, “It’s no wonder that people who live in the Mediterranean area — who consume 20 times more olive oil than Americans — have half the incidences of cancer than the U.S. Both the olive leaf and olive fruit have active polyphenol properties, but in the processing of the fruit and oil, many are removed.

“Even so, olive oil contains enough polyphenols that deliver many healthful benefits. It is the olive leaf, however, that is prized for its anti-tumor, anti-microbial and anti-viral properties. And it’s not just cancer that olive leaf extract has been shown to treat successfully”.

She concludes, “Clinical tests conducted by the New York University School of Medicine showed that olive leaf extract is able to change the pathways of HIV-type infections as well, and may even reverse these conditions”.

Collins also refers to a book titled Olive Leaf Extract, by Dr. Morton Walker who, she says, recommends using olive leaf extract for its miraculous effects on more than 125 infectious and chronic diseases. (We couldn’t obtain a copy of this book before our own book went to press, but it sounds interesting).

The health benefits of olive leaf extract are also extoled in an article published by Fox News on January 23, 2013. It confirms that “Olive leaf is an especially good source of the anti-cancer compounds apigenin and luteolin, and is a source of the anti-malarial agent cinchonine. And oleuropein has also shown protective capabilities against breast cancer”.

The article continues, “Olive leaf extract also acts as an anti-inflammatory. Like oxidation, inflammation is a key factor in chronic and degenerative diseases. Animal studies additionally suggest that olive leaf extract may protect against nerve damage, and may be of value in cases of stroke”.

The popular science-based natural health advocacy organization Natural News, led by activist-turned-scientist Mike Adams, lists on its website “The top seven natural cures for cancer that got buried by the FDA, AMA, CDC.” Detailed case studies supporting each “cure” are included in an article dated October 24, 2013 on the organization’s NaturalNews.com site.

One of the above-mentioned case studies in particular is worth highlighting. It involves the alleged payoff of a cancer researcher to cease work on natural cures and retire in Mexico.

According to the article, the researcher, one Raymond Rife, “discovered the most promising cure for curing ‘hopeless’ cancer cases.” He also designed and developed cutting edge microscopes and helium plasma lamps to support his research.

No surprises Rife was resented by Big Pharma and Western medicine elitists in the medical community.

The article outlines a timeline showing Rife’s demise as follows:

“The AMA (American Medical Association) visits all doctors involved with Rife warning them: ‘Those who don’t stop using the Frequency Instruments lose their medical license.’ Doctors immediately turn in their Rife Machines for fear of indictment”. And (the following year) “the AMA pays (Rife’s associate Dr. Arthur) Kendall over $200,000 to stop working on cancer cures and retire in Mexico”.

Dr. Kendall, incidentally, reportedly died of “unknown causes” five years later, and two years after that, according to the same article, Rife “turns to alcohol, eventually needing rehabilitation”.

The list of other supposed cancer cures said to have been suppressed is long enough to fill a whole book. These range from Cannabidiol, the little-known medical compound found in Marijuana, to a treatment that involves ingesting nothing other than regular household baking soda.

In 2009 Hollywood celebrity and cancer survivor Suzanne Somers wrote about natural cancer cures in her book Knockout: Interviews with Doctors Who Are Curing Cancer and How To Prevent Getting it in the First Place.

The synopsis for the book mentions that “Somers interviews doctors who are successfully using the most innovative cancer treatments—treatments that build up the body rather than tear it down.”

Knockout also outlines an array of effective, alternative treatment options from doctors all over the United States. Treatments that do not involve chemotherapy or radiation and which primarily focus on building up the immune system.

The book’s synopsis also mentions the “stunning testimonials from inspirational survivors using alternative treatments”.

In a 2010 interview she gave on News Max TV, Somers spoke about her personal experience beating cancer and the wider research she conducted on alternative cures while writing Knockout.

“I would talk to these (alternative) doctors, interview them, and I would say to each of them ‘it’s all well and good for you to tell me this, but I need to talk to your patients’. They opened up their patients to me. I talked to Stage Four lung cancer, liver cancer, ovarian cancer, cervical cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, brain tumors – all these people living these normal, healthy lives having not been degraded by harsh chemicals. And I realized that there is another way that none of us know about.”

The other way, of course, includes alternative, natural healing methods which do not involve the Medical Industrial Complex’s patented (and highly profitable) chemo and radiation therapies.

In our book MEDICAL INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX: The $ickness Industry, Big Pharma and Suppressed Cures, we emphasise that mainstream medicine should not be so quick to dismiss claims of alternative treatments and cures for cancer.

Following on from our recent (November 4) post on this emotional subject, here’s another excerpt from a chapter titled “Finding (hiding) a cure for cancer” lifted from Medical Industrial Complex:

The American Cancer Society is even more conservative in its stance on alternative cancer treatments. AMC’s website states that complementary or alternative cancer therapies are harder to evaluate than mainstream treatment.

AMC states, “One big concern is that, with alternative treatments, the delay in mainstream treatment can allow the cancer to grow and spread to other parts of the body. Another is that some complementary and alternative therapies have been reported to cause serious problems or even deaths. Even so, most of these problems are not reported to the FDA by the patient or family, so no one else hears about them.

“We do know that certain vitamins and minerals can increase the risk of cancer or other illnesses, especially if too much is taken. But when it happens to one person, it is very easy to miss any link between the illness and the supplement. Large groups of people must be studied to find out about a small increase in risk”.

The AMC report continues, “There are those who think that treatments derived from folk remedies that have been used for thousands of years must work…just because a treatment method has been used a long time does not mean that it works…

“When scientific studies are not done, it is hard to tell what is caused by the illness and what is caused by the treatment. Herbal treatments that are given for illnesses that go away on their own may be given credit for curing the person. Or the treatment might make the person feel better for a short time but have no effect in the long run”.

All good points, but it doesn’t remotely change the cold, hard fact that cancer patients working within the mainstream medical system continue to succumb to the deadly disease in frightening and ever-increasing numbers. Or that no cure for cancer appears to be on the horizon within mainstream Western medicine.

What follows is a sample of alternative cancer cure theories we’ve unearthed as a result of conducting our own research.

In the 1920’s, Canadian nurse Rene Caisse developed a natural concoction of herbs called Essiac. Nurse Caisse claimed it could cure cancer and she garnered many testimonials from satisfied patients said to be cancer-free after taking the product. Laboratory tests did not confirm Essiac offered any benefits whatsoever, but conspiracy theorists argue the lab tests were rigged and that Big Pharma flexed its muscle to shut Caisse down.

Nurse Rene Caisse…shut down.

In the 1940’s, German-born American physician Max Gerson (1881-1959) developed a nutrition-based cancer treatment called Gerson Therapy.

After repeatedly claiming his therapy cured cancer, Doctor Gerson had his medical license suspended and he died while still under suspension. Although now a maligned and mostly forgotten cancer treatment in America, it remains popular in Mexico where there are Gerson clinics in operation, treating local and foreign cancer patients.

In the 1950’s, American coal miner Harry Hoxsey promoted his family’s century-old herbal recipe, which he touted as a cancer cure. He set up clinics in 17 states around America before all were closed down by the FDA. Hoxsey made a rare documentary film in 1957 called You Don’t Have to Die, which detailed his cure and covered the patients he treated with it. There’s a more recent documentary titled Hoxsey: How Healing Becomes a Crime, which chronicles his battles with what the docomakers refer to as organized medicine.

In the 1980’s, Italian medical doctor, chemist and pharmacologist Luigi di Bella (1912-2003) claimed to have developed a cure for cancer known as Di Bella Therapy. The formula was a combination of vitamins, drugs and hormones.

Luigi di Bella at work.

The American Cancer Society says on its website that numerous studies showed Di Bella Therapy “may have had a negative effect compared to the outcome for similar patients receiving standard treatment”. However, there are some alternative medical researchers who believe Di Bella therapy was a legitimate cancer cure that was permanently quashed by the medical establishment.

Despite the extremely negative press garnered in Italy and the rest of the world there are, or were, cancer patients who swore by Di Bella Therapy and gave testimonials. For example, on the website BeatingCancerCenter.org is the following statement: “For about three years, the patient has been following the Di Bella therapy without side effects, improving the quality of life and going back to work.”

Luigi di Bella himself consistently stated that pharmaceutical companies were conspiring against him.

It’s common knowledge that cancer, along with cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and chronic lung diseases, is one of the biggest natural killers. Nearly two million Americans are diagnosed with cancer annually, according to some estimates, and as many as 20,000 cancer patients are reportedly dying worldwide every day.

In a chapter titled “Finding (hiding) a cure for cancer,” we address this killer disease in our book MEDICAL INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX: The $ickness Industry, Big Pharma and Suppressed Cures, and we look at what mainstream medicine is doing about it and, more importantly, what alternative treatments are available.

An excerpt from the book follows:

According to Mercola.com, which promotes itself as the world’s No.1 natural health site, “One person out of three will be hit with a cancer diagnosis at some time in their lives.” Subscribers are urged to understand that cancer is big business.

In an article dated August 3, 2013, Mercola.com states, “The cancer industry is spending virtually nothing of its multi-billion dollar resources on effective prevention strategies, such as dietary guidelines, exercise and obesity education. Instead, it pours its money into treating cancer, not preventing or curing it. Why would they shoot their cash cow? If they can keep the well-oiled Cancer Machine running, they will continue to make massive profits on chemotherapy drugs, radiotherapy, diagnostic procedures and surgeries.

“The typical cancer patient spends $50,000 fighting the disease. Chemotherapy drugs are among the most expensive of all treatments, many ranging from $3,000 to $7,000 for a one-month supply”.

The article concludes, “In spite of the enormous amounts of money funneled into cancer research today, two out of three cancer patients will be dead within five years after receiving all or part of the standard cancer treatment trinity—surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.”

There’s no doubt, in the last few decades hundreds of billions of dollars have been spent internationally on cancer research. In the US alone, since President Nixon launched his ‘War on Cancer’ program in 1971, tens of billions in government funding have been granted to cancer researchers.

And when a cancer cure is finally found it will save millions of lives and will be the medical discovery of the era.

However, there are theories out there which suggest there has already been a cure, or many cures, discovered for cancer. These popular theories suggest the Medical Industrial Complex have a huge financial incentive to suppress cures so they can continue to provide their own costly treatments for cancer patients.

If true, that would be a callous and unforgiveable business model, unnecessarily costing countless lives.

Of course, many if not most known (proclaimed) alternative cancer treatments are noticeably lacking in suitable testing methodology and well conducted clinical trials, and test results often haven’t demonstrated significant efficacy; nor have results been published, or published in appropriate publications at least.

According to Wikipedia, “A 2006 systematic review of 214 articles covering 198 clinical trials of alternative cancer treatments concluded that almost none conducted dose-ranging studies, which are necessary to ensure that the patients are being given a useful amount of the treatment. These kinds of treatments appear and vanish frequently, and have throughout history”.

The medical establishment has identified and branded as ineffective numerous alternative therapies to treat and prevent cancer. These include: homeopathy, naturopathy, herbalism, holistic medicine and aromatherapy.

Similarly, many other treatments have been put down by the establishment. To name but a few, these include light therapy and other energy-based treatments, fasting and other diet-based treatments, cannabis and other plant-based treatments, colon cleansing and other physical procedures, and faith healing and other such spiritual measures.

____________________________________

“The cancer industry world wide is estimated at a 200 billion dollar a year industry. There are many in various associated positions within that industry who would be without a job if that cash flow dried up suddenly with the news that there are cheaper, less harmful, and more efficacious remedies available. Big Pharmacy would virtually vanish.” –Paul Fassa. Article excerpt from Natural News, September 24, 2009.

____________________________________

There’s no disputing that the alternative (cancer treatment) route is littered with examples of pseudo-science, snake oil salesmen, bogus cures and failures; nor is there any disputing that in recent decades medical science has made major inroads into treating and removing cancers. You only need to look at the advances made in chemotherapy and radiation therapy, and the refinement of surgical techniques, to understand that.

However, officially at least, a cure for cancer still eludes Mankind and cancer sufferers continue to die by the millions every year.

For that reason alone, mainstream medicine should not be so quick to dismiss claims of alternative treatments and cures. After all, there are many case studies that support the theory that there has already been a cure, or many cures, discovered for cancer.

Even that respected American non-profit medical practice and research group the Mayo Clinic pays lip service at least to alternative cancer treatments. On its website, beneath the warning “Many alternative cancer treatments are unproved and some may even be dangerous,” the clinic lists “10 alternative cancer treatments that are generally safe” and “have shown some promise in helping people with cancer”.

Interim results in the latest poll in our Underground Knowledge discussion group on Goodreads.com reveals there’s considerable uncertainty over the safety of child immunizations and vaccines.

In response to the question Do you believe child immunizations/vaccines are for the most part extremely safe as per official statements from mainstream medicine and Big Pharma? well over half our poll respondents to date say they don’t believe that or they’re unsure.

Fellow ‘Undergrounders’ (group members) include doctors, nurses (and former nurses), lab technicians, pharmacists, scientists, a neurologist and other medical professionals – and a number of those members are contributing to the poll. Some of the comments make for interesting reading.

Here’s what the aforementioned American neurologist (name withheld) has to say on the topic:

With the recent talk of vaccinations highlighted during the Republican Presidential debates, it definitely highlights the concerns that linger among us parents about having our children vaccinated. I must preface this post (before getting to my point by discussing a recent article in the neurological literature) by stating that I am a neurologist with 5 children and all were fully vaccinated. That said, I must admit that the vaccinations were spaced apart further than that which was recommended by the pediatrician.

The only reason my wife and I were adamant about altering the dosing regimen was that we routinely witnessed an alteration in our childrens’ mental status after they received a barrage of shots. I would like to say that flu-like symptoms or low-grade fevers precipitated the changes. However, there were no signs or symptoms of any physical reaction to the vaccines. What did change on occasion was their personalities, sleep habits and at times cognition. It was scary to witness, but we were relieved when it resolved. As we began to split up the vaccination shots for our younger children, these neurological sided effects abated.

The reason why I discuss my own experience is that the medical system ardently insists that autism is not related to vaccinations. However, a recent medical journal I read does raise the awareness about the possible neurological sequela that can occur after one of these shots. A July 1 article in Science Translational Medicine discussed the link between Pandemrix, a vaccine used during the H1N1 flu pandemic, and 1,300 reported new cases of narcolepsy which occurred after receiving the shot. The article described how antibodies that formed as a result of the vaccine crossed the blood-brain barrier and attacked the sleep regulation portion of the brain. As a result, these people were left with narcolepsy. The process is called molecular mimicry. It has already been documented as the cause of different neurological diseases that result from the body’s immunological response to certain cancers, infections or exposures.

If a vaccine can cause narcolepsy, it definitely calls into question whether vaccines could also initiate other neurological problems such as autism. Though the question remains, the overall benefit of vaccines to society as a whole does outweigh the risks. My only recommendation to the medical establishment is to reconsider both the dose of the vaccine and the timing they are given, to reduce any of these possible side effects.

As the healthcare sector is so profitable, why would anyone believe major corruption could not flourish in this industry? We pose this question in our book MEDICAL INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX: The $ickness Industry, Big Pharma and Suppressed Cures.

Healthcare corruption-free…really?

When considering this question, it’s important you have a grasp of the amounts of money involved in healthcare.

We address this in the following excerpt from Medical Industrial Complex:

Keep in mind total healthcare expenditures across the world in 2013 totaled $4.5 trillion while the global prescription drug market was worth an estimated $550 billion (annually) as long ago as 2006, according to TheMedica.com, the respected global healthcare marketplace site.

An article on TheMedica’s homepage states: “The USA’s medical industry comprises of more than 750,000 physicians and 5,200 hospitals. USA witnesses approximately 3.8 million inpatient visits and 20 million outpatients visit on a daily basis. Furthermore, (America) has the largest workforce – i.e. one in every 11 US residents employed in the health care business.”

These estimates are supported by Forbes, which puts America’s NHE (National Healthcare Expenditure) for 2012 at $3 trillion. (Interesting to see a Forbes.com report dated January 19, 2012, quotes one economist as saying, “We don’t have a debt problem in this country – we have a healthcare problem.”).

Given the huge monies up for grabs in the healthcare sector, is it really that difficult to believe corruption flourishes within it?

Also, why are so many so quick to doubt that certain cures, including cancer cures, have been suppressed because of pharmaceutical companies’ desire to continue profiting off the drugs they produce to manage long-term sicknesses?

Anytime so much money is at stake, we cannot underestimate the lengths certain companies and groups will go to in their pursuit of profit.

The alternative health site NaturalSociety.com has an intriguing post about “an ignored method of treating and preventing most diseases – so potent that it threatens the medical establishment’s tyrannical monopoly”.

Called Ozone Therapy, the treatment was, according to the article, practiced in the US from the late 19th Century through the 1940’s.

The article points out that “all bacterial pathogens, viruses, and parasites are anaerobic and thrive in the absence of oxygen. In fact, they are poisoned by oxygen. Even cancer cells perish with abundant oxygen. The most common and effective therapy for oxygenating is ozone therapy”

The writer states, “But since the 1940s, the FDA and AMA have come down hard on ozone therapy in the USA…The FDA recently warned against using hyperbaric oxygen therapy”…

According to Educate-Yourself.org, “There are a number of alternative healing therapies that work so well and cost so little…that Organized Medicine, the Food & Drug Administration, and their overlords in the Pharmaceutical Industry (The Big Three) would rather the public not know about them. The reason is obvious: Alternative, non-toxic therapies represent a potential loss of billions of dollars to allopathic (drug) medicine and drug companies”.

Referring to what he calls “forbidden cures,” the writer states, “At long last, however, the public’s consciousness seems to have finally reached a critical mass and is now beginning to seriously question the efficacy and appropriateness of using orthodox therapies and allopathic medicine in general”.

The article continues, “The Big Three have collectively engaged in a medical conspiracy for the better part of 70 years to influence legislative bodies on both the state and federal level to create regulations that promote the use of drug medicine while simultaneously creating restrictive, controlling mechanisms…designed to limit and stifle the availability of non-drug, alternative modalities. The conspiracy to limit and eliminate competition from non-drug therapies began with the Flexner Report of 1910”.

And under the heading ‘Natural Healing,’ the writer says, “The patient’s immune system and the immune system alone is responsible for healing and recovery from ill health. The use of drugs and vaccines represents an assault on the immune system.

“In some cases, the use of a particular drug might be a wise choice to speed healing and recovery for the patient, but the use of natural, orthomolecular therapies and substances (substances normally found in Nature) that can more effectively address the cause of the disease should be considered first because natural substances work in harmony with Nature. They aid and stimulate the body to truly cure itself, without the terrible millstone of drug side-effects”…

The Northstar Report at nstarzone.com, which makes the claim that “Modern medicine has been made into a god by a population of people who look to the doctors and pharmaceutical companies to save them,” lists natural cures it claims the medical establishment doesn’t want you to know about.

These natural “cures” include: Vitamin B-17, or laetrile, which reportedly has had “amazing results” with cancer patients; ginger, which is supposedly “highly effective in preventing and curing” heart disease, cancer, arthritis, and a variety of other illnesses; and garlic, which is claimed to be “good for virtually any disease or infection”.

And last, but not least, The Northstar Report recommends prayer, claiming “The most important aspect of healing is faith healing”.

Given the state of healthcare worldwide and the dubious conduct of various sectors of the Medical Industrial Complex, prayer may be our best bet at the end of the day.